CCM Choral presents staged version of J. S. Bach's 'St. John Passion'

UC's College-Conservatory of Music presents J. S. Bach’s St. John Passion, a work for chamber orchestra, choir and vocal soloists that premiered in 1724. The staged performances of this timeless piece will take place at 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 27 and Sunday, October 28 at Cincinnati’s Knox Presbyterian Church, 3400 Michigan Ave.

This production features CCM’s Chamber Choir and Concert Orchestra, led by Earl Rivers, CCM director of choral studies. Artist diploma candidate Audrey Chait directs the St. John Passion and will also direct CCM’s Studio Opera production of Dinner at Eight in February. Faculty artist Daniel Weeks, tenor, sings the role of the Evangelist, with student soloists playing the other roles.

“The Passion story is told here through the eyes of the Apostle John,” Chait says. “Through reliving his memories of the final days of Jesus, he explores both the interior and exterior of the narrative, as well as his own role in creating the canonical version of the text. We utilize a simple, timeless visual language to emphasize the beauty and transcendence of Bach's landmark work.”  

“In recent seasons throughout the world, staged productions of Bach’s St. John Passion and St. Matthew Passion have sprung up and blossomed, as music directors and stage directors explore new means of expressing these timeless settings of the Passion story,” Rivers adds. “By staging the St. John Passion, CCM is preparing CCM students for real-world professional performances they will experience over their careers.”

Student soloists will sing the roles of Jesus (Daren Small, baritone), Pontius Pilate (John Siarris, baritone) in this production, with the parts for the Disciples sung by Claire Lopatka and Victoria Okafor, sopranos; Michelle La Jeunesse and Brenda Iglesias Zarco, mezzo-sopranos; Victor Cardamone, tenor; Joshua Cook and Antonia Cruz, baritones; and Michael Hyatt, bass.

Admission for this production is free, but subscribers receive access to a preferred section of the best seats. Subscribers can call the CCM Box Office on Monday, October 22 to reserve seats.

CCM’s production of Bach’s St. John Passion will be sung in German with English surtitles.

• 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27
• 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28

Knox Presbyterian Church
3400 Michigan Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45208

Admission is free, reservations are not required.

CCM subscribers receive access to a preferred section of the best seats. Subscribers can call the CCM Box Office at 513-556-4183 on Monday, October 22 to reserve seats.

Please visit the Knox Presbyterian Church website at https://www.knox.org/ for more information on parking and directions.

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CCM Choral Studies Sponsor: Jan Rogers and Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation

Visiting Artists Sponsor: The Joseph and Frances Jones Poetker Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation, Ritter and Randolph, LLC, Corporate Council

CCM's production of Bach's St. John Passion is supported by a generous grant from the Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation.
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Story by CCM Graduate Student Alexandra Doyle